


Fear the Fever

by PartyhardDrunkard



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ben/Kylo has a sister, F/M, I'm going full Flowers in the Attic with this, Im bad at tags I'm so sorry, Loss of Virginity, My First Work in This Fandom, Plot Twists, She's the OC, Sibling Incest, Slow Build, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:28:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5691211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartyhardDrunkard/pseuds/PartyhardDrunkard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her deep chocolate eyes shone with a hint of maroon in the lighting, her jaw was squared as were her shoulders.  She was attempting to look strong and fearless, like she wasn't staring down someone of a higher power than she (although it might not be in the Force).</p><p>"You think you're better than me?  I am strong with the Force and the Force is strong with me." She hissed with spite despite the pounding of her heart within her ears, "You're just a general.  Easily replaced and not very memorable."</p><p>And then time seemed to stop.  General Hux may not have been strong in the Force.  But poor little Aether Ren had just unleashed the carefully bridled rage within him.  And there was nothing she could do about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

There was a shriek-like gasp as a silhouetted figure jolted upright out of bed. The way her skin glistened in the starlight coming in from the cracked shades made it quite clear that she was covered in a thin layer of sweat. A nightmare. A ghastly nightmare had woken her.

Her bosom rose and fell, unsteady through and through as her dark eyes flitted about her quarters. Nothing had changed. Everything was the same. Her dreadful recurring nightmare still had not come to fruition. She knew it would eventually. It was only a matter of time until it happened. But, she was grateful it was not this night.

The young woman, no more than eighteen years of age, shifted beneath her covers before throwing them off herself entirely. There would be no more sleeping after that. She gently slid off the bed, her toes lightly touching the lush carpeted floor before she pushed herself to her feet with a heavy sigh.

Looking over at her computing console, she groaned softly, so as to not wake her roommate. He wouldn't take too kindly to that and, judging by the fact that the entire quarter seemed to be dead quiet, it did not appear that he had already awoken. It was nearly 0:400 hours. Not as early as she'd ever woken up, but definitely not as late as she had been hoping for.

The girl stood there, hands on her hips and staring at the clock like it had three heads. This was quite absurd. Wordlessly, she popped her neck and held out an arm. Her dainty fingers were stretched wide, reaching. With little effort, her robe which had been hanging across her room flew into her grasp. Usually it took a bit of effort for her to use the Force so soon after waking, but she took this ease to mean that it would, in fact, be a good day.

She wrapped the robe around herself, fastening its ribbons in front of her (not too tight, but not too loose either) as she padded from her bedchamber into the main room of her shared quarters. She had to stifle a scream as she nearly bumped into her roommate, her face level with his already clothed chest as she made a huff of annoyance.

"What are you doing out of bed already?" She grumbled, stepping around him as he chuckled.

"I could ask you the same thing." His voice was deep, smooth, and the only familiar thing to her since she had been a small child. He was her brother, after all. Although, she had grown used to her surroundings on the First Order Starkiller base, they just didn't hold a sense of familiarity.

The brunette sighed and flopped herself into her favorite chair - a black leather rocking recliner positioned next to the window so she could look out at the stars.

"You know why, don't be an ass so early in the morning." She mumbled, propping her head up on her hand as she stargazed.

She felt more than saw or heard him place himself in the chair beside her own.

"The nightmare again." He didn't need to poke and prod around within the confines of her mind to figure that one out.

"Yeah, no shit." She hadn't meant to snap, but...well, she was quite stressed.

She could feel her brother's disapproving and slightly irritated gaze burning a hole into her brain and she decided to put a stop to it before he started drilling around in there like some kind of parasite by changing the subject.

"So what is on the great Kylo Ren's agenda today?" There was a bitterness in her tone and an underlying sarcasm that caused her own skin to crawl. So bitter. So, so bitter.

Finally, she tore her eyes away from the stars and looked her brother in the face. Their features were quite similar. Both had raven colored hair and deep eyes the color of chocolate. Defined cheekbones gave them both a somewhat gaunt appearance, which wasn't helped by their pale skin tone. He had more freckles than she (she was the less outdoorsy of the two) and his lips were more plump, which she quite envied. Always had, always will. Upon those plump lips was a light smirk, almost teasing. But the younger of the siblings felt something off. The darkness around her brother was coming off him in waves. It was unnerving. She had enough of that to deal with with Supreme Leader Snoke. She didn't need it within the confines of her room.

"I'm not needed anywhere today, really. Just training." He hummed, "What of you, Aether? What's on your agenda?"

She bristled at the use of her alias. She quite preferred her given name of Eyre Solo, but that just wouldn't do in these circumstances. She was a Knight of Ren. The only female in the whole lot. She needed to be perceived as something dark, something intimidating, despite her small size and young age.

In the privacy of their quarters, she would rather be called by own given name. He knew that. He just....didn't seem to care.

"Fight training with Phasma. And General Hux-" She spat the ginger menace's name like it was acid within her mouth that she just had to get out, "-Wishes to meet with me. He didn't give any specifics. I'm going in blind."

It was no secret that Eyre Solo (and her alter ego, Aether Ren) quite despised the General. He was arrogant, cruel, a downright despicable human being through and through (even by her and her brother's standards). But, even through all that, a large part of her still found the redhead to be disarmingly attractive.

Eyre was knocked out of her thoughts when Ben aggressively pushed himself out of his chair with a growl (oh no, here we go again).

"I don't want him going anywhere near you." He hissed.

"Well, it's too late for you to do anything about it now! It's not like I could say no. Technically, he's above me in rank." Eyre shot back, voice a smooth and deep calm compared to Ben's raging storm.

"I. Don't want. Him. Going. Near. You." He bit out again, hands curling into fists at his sides as he leaned down towards his little sister.

"Stop that." She quipped, "You should know by now that your whole 'big mean and scary Kylo Ren' act doesn't work on me. Remember? I helped you create it?" She turned back towards the stars for a moment before pushing herself to her feet and maneuvering around Ben, who had somewhat deflated.

"I think you're getting far too into your Kylo Ren persona. I don't like it." And, with that, she slammed her bedchamber door with the Force, the bang echoing throughout the whole chamber.

Today wouldn't be such a good day after all. Pity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!
> 
> What is her nightmare? What is with her and Kylo? Is there something going on that no one else knows about? We will find out later!


	2. Too Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like it, please comment, leave kudos, and maybe even subscribe or bookmark! It would make my entire day! I'd love to hear how I'm doing. :D

Eyre could feel Ben's angry dark energy dissipating from the other side of the door. She knew without having to hear him that he was walking away. Either to go train or to just go mope someplace else, she was not sure. But she decided that it was better to be productive and get the day started rather than to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, as much as she longed to do the latter.

She opened her wardrobe with a lazy flick of her slender wrist before marching to it and grabbing her go-to outfit. It was almost identical to her brother's - as were all the other Knight of Ren's clothing - although hers had a distinctively more feminine flare. It wasn't overdone. Instead, it was rather understated. The cloak and hood were the same as Ben's, just in a few sizes smaller.

Instead of the black leather trousers, Eyre had opted for a long black skirt. To her, it was a lot easier to move in than leather pants. She could run and leap and fight without worrying about ripping a seam somewhere. Through the now years (she could hardly believe the amount of time she had been a Knight already), the black material was now tattered. It added an eerie quality. The fabric seemed to move with her more than ever before and gave her the appearance of walking on air.

Finishing off her Knight of Ren wardrobe were the black knee high platform wedge heels. They were absurdly high, but lined with state of the art technology that made them painless to wear. They were mainly to give her the appearance of being much taller than she actually was, and therefore more intimidating (although, she still wasn't taller than her brother or General Hux).

Smoothing down her cloak and tucking her hair more securely beneath her hood, Eyre exited her bedchamber for the second time that morning. Ben was gone, as she had already known, but upon closer inspection of the living area, she found a note upon the coffee table. It simply read: ' ** _Don't forget to eat breakfast._** '. A chuckle bubbled out of her throat as she gently placed the note back where she had found it, a croissant and fruit that was similar to an apple catching her eye on a plate that she hadn't noticed before.

After finishing her small but still delicious meal, Eyre willed the lights to go down to a more dim level as she made a cross for the door. But she stopped short, putting a gloved hand up to her face. Shit. It wasn't the first time she'd almost forgotten her mask. It was simple enough to use the Force to swiftly bring it into her grasp. And then she was sliding it on, opening the door, and entering the halls of Starkiller base. She was no longer Eyre Solo. No. Now, she was Aether Ren.

Any quiet chatter that had been flowing through the halls ceased the moment Aether had ominously stepped foot outside her quarters. The servants pressed against the walls, eyes down and heads bowed, as she passed by them. She didn't know what about her aura must change so much, but she even felt different the moment she slipped into character, as it were. Perhaps it was the mask, even more morbid and downright scary than Kylo Ren's. Hers was the intricate design of a skull, black with silver highlights. The only thing visible of her were her eyes, dark and probing like her sibling's.

Aether did as any superior being would do when confronted with lesser people. She ignored them and trampled on through the hall like it was her own personal runway. Everyone would get out of her way, whether she had to use the Force on them or not. When she got to the lift, it was already waiting for her and she was able to step right on in without a pause. She was glad to see that the button for the training level had already been pressed.

The elevator ride was relatively uneventful, though the nervous twitching of the other person (a lower ranking officer that had been sent to give a message to one of the higher ups, Aether saw without much effort) was quite amusing. An entertained smirk was on her lips, though the other could not see it. All he saw was what must have looked like the face of death itself staring down at him. The moment the lift doors opened, the young man practically bolted. Luckily for him, he was going in the opposite direction as the female Knight.

Ren stepped out of the elevator, her boots making strange echoing clunking sounds as they touched the metal flooring. She didn't register the doors whispering shit behind her. All she could focus on was what she was currently sensing. Annoyance. Irritation. Maybe a small hint of worry. But, most of all, pure arrogance. General Hux was on the move.

"Oh shit." She uttered beneath her breath, the sound coming out as an odd breathy garble through her voice modulator. Footsteps that were a quiet patter before were much louder now and the girl promptly turned on her heel and hightailed it in the opposite direction.

 _Get to Phasma before he gets to you, that is your goal._ She thought as she power walked around a corner. She had absolutely no patience to be dealing with Hux right now. She barely had the patience to deal with him at all. But, definitely not now.

She was almost there. So close, yet so far. Just a few more steps.

"Aether Ren." Hux's voice called out from the other end of the hall.

_Fuck. Just be civil._

Aether stopped dead in her tracks, her hands balling into fists at the mere sound of his voice. She took a deep breath, exhaling through her mouth. It came out of her modulator sounding like the breathing of someone who was dying. Accurate, given how the General made her feel on the inside.

"Yes, General Hux?" The question sounded less like a question and more like an exasperated statement as she turned her head to the side, regarding him out of the corner of her eye as he drew closer, "It can't be more than five thirty in the morning, what could you possibly want this early?"

So much for trying to be civil.

Aether could sense him bristling at the biting edge in her words and she smirked beneath her mask in triumph, although it never showed in her eyes.

"Supreme Leader Snoke wishes to speak with you." It was obvious how hard Hux was trying to keep his cool. She knew he wouldn't slip. He never did. Although, she quite wished that he would lose it, for once. She wanted to know what he would look like when he lost control. Would he seethe or would he scream? Would his perfectly styled hair fall out of place? Would he grab her arms and pin her against the wall? Would he.....

Aether had to literally shake that train of thought out of her mind, as subtle and small as the motion was.

"Of course." She managed to grit out before turning around and attempting to bypass the General without looking at his face (which was next to impossible, given how close he was standing). His arm shot out and blocked her path and, though she could have easily removed it (both from her path and from his body), she did not. Just gave him a look, and that look was very clear.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

"And do try to not forget. Meet me at my quarters at nineteen hundred hours. Don't be late." He was much too close for comfort and Aether found herself shifting her weight uncomfortably.

"It's not like I can refuse." She snapped before swiftly ducking beneath his arm and slinking away with the feeling of his glowing green eyes pressing into her skull.


	3. Unrecognizable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! This seems to be taking on a mind of its own. It's less about Hux and Aether and more about Kylo and Aether now. I'll try to get it back on track soon, haha.
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos and comments! :D

Don't get her wrong...Aether didn't particularly enjoy her meetings with the Supreme Leader. But, it was better than being in a seemingly deserted area with the man she hated most on the entire ship. The moment she could no longer feel Hux's greedy eyes on her was the moment she finally felt like she could breathe. It was absurd, really. She was a Knight of Ren, for fuck's sake, and he was nothing but a General. He was easily disposable, yet....she was actually frightened of him. Or maybe she was actually frightened of her attraction to him? She didn't know.

Aether may have been a powerful Force wielder and feared by almost as many people as Kylo Ren was, but she was...actually rather innocent. She had only had one crush in her entire life (other than Hux, although she was in complete and total denial about that one). She'd never been kissed. She'd never had sex. And the Force only knew what would happen if her brother caught her even thinking of touching herself. It was one downside of living with him. She had next to no freedom. She loved him, but Kylo was so infuriatingly suffocating. Although, thinking about it, she could hardly blame him. Since the massacre at Luke Skywalker's Jedi training academy when she was five and Ben was fifteen, he'd pretty much been her father, her mother, and her brother. It was a lot of stress and he, to this day, didn't really know what the hell he was doing.

All of this mind chatter seemed to be carrying her. Somehow, she had managed to mindlessly wander all the way to just outside the Supreme Leader's projection room. It was too soon. She was not prepared for this in the slightest, but she knew he must have been waiting just behind the intimidatingly over-sized doors. And, if she didn't want to anger anyone, it was Snoke. He could have her killed by her own brother with the flick of his wrist.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself before pushing the doors open (using the Force, of course - those doors were too heavy for her to open with her own two arms). Sure enough, the Supreme Leader was there waiting for her. She knew that even with her mask on, he could sense her nervousness. She could see the obnoxiously condescending look on his over-sized face and it made her skin crawl. She bowed anyway, not in the mood to be bitched at (although, she felt like that would be inevitable anyway).

"You wished to speak with me, Supreme Leader?" No sooner than the words had left her mouth, Snoke was leaning towards her and she had to stifle the intense urge to back away.

"Kylo Ren has brought some things to my attention." The terrifyingly otherwordly voice of her boss, so to speak, echoed through the entire chamber and caused Aether's ears to ring.

"Oh?" She tried to sound interested and knew she was failing miserably, "What, pray tell, did he say?"

"He is concerned that you are falling towards the Light. I agree with him." Aether's blood ran cold and she averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at Snoke. There had to be some sort of purpose to this. Kylo had to have thrown her under the bus for a reason. Was this some sort of absurd prank?

"I am _not_ falling towards the Light. Kylo and I might not get along all the time, but, _quite frankly_ , you shouldn't assume that I am drifting away from you and your cause just because my brother and I have a bit of a spat." She ended up sounding quite aggressive and should have been backtracking and apologizing profusely, but she wasn't. She was just staring up at the giant ugly bastard defiantly, a fire in her eyes that was always steadily burning...it was just much stronger than normal.

* * *

 

Aether was absolutely furious. She was using the Force, her powers prying out and searching for Kylo aggressively. She didn't care about who she could possibly be affecting, who's thoughts she could possibly be turning upside down. She was just concerned with finding him. Stalking through the halls, fists clenched at her sides and powers raging, she must have looked like a bull in a china shop. But, she honestly couldn't care less. And she was getting more and more pissed off the more time she spent looking for her brother.

" _ **KYLO REN.**_ " She roared, the already horrific sound becoming even more ghastly coming through her modulator. Everyone within a close radius either cringed, halted, or just plain ran away. Approaching the nearest Stormtrooper, FN-2187, stopped short of bowling him over and the obviously terrified trooper clutched his phazer closer to his body and cringed.

"Kylo Ren. _Where is he?_ " She seethed and FN-2187 sputtered at her from beneath his helmet before Aether tilted her head a minuscule amount to the side and that was enough for the petrified man to open his mouth.

"I-I saw him going back to his quarters." He practically squeaked and she immediately bolted in the opposite direction. FN-2187 let out the breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. Poor kid was having a hell of a day.

* * *

 

Normally, when she entered their quarters, Aether would drop her Knight of Ren persona and become Eyre again. This time, however, was absolutely different. She was way too pissed. Aether wasted absolutely no time in pushing the door open and locating her backstabbing asshole of a brother, who was exiting his bedchamber, still fully in his Kylo Ren garb.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Aether hissed out, body language and aura seething from the complete rage and borderline hatred she was currently feeling, "I could kill you right now. I am really considering it."

Kylo chuckled and Aether's hands clenched again into fists at her sides. She was considering murdering the only person she had left in the world and he was laughing at her?

"Don't you fucking laugh at me!" Her voice was becoming shrill, as much as that inwardly annoyed her.

She couldn't see Kylo's face through his mask, but she could imagine that he was probably smirking at her.  And then she couldn't do much else because he held out a hand and a huge amount of energy - a Force push - slammed into her chest.  Letting out a strangled sound of protest and pain, she felt her back hit the wall with a BAM.

"Don't forget who's most powerful here, _sissy_."  The way he spat the word that used to be an endearment had her heart hurting more than her spine.  Something that earned another chuckle from her brother.

"See?  That, right there.  That sad little look in your eyes.  What you're feeling?  That's why I did what I did."  And then he was right in front of her, crouching down to her level.

Kylo reached out, slipping his hands beneath Aether's mask, finding the latches that held it in place and unlatching them with a click.  He pulled the mask over her head and set it to the side before taking his sister's face in his hands softly.  Eyre looked up at him, eyes searching his mask for something, some sign of what was going on in his mind.  He wasn't letting her in.

"You're strong.  You're defiant.  You're resilient.  You're my little sister and I love you.  But I can't have your heart-" A hand left her face to place itself over her heart, "-getting in the way.  Do I make myself clear?"

Tears were in Eyre's eyes.  She tried to move, but realized then that she couldn't.  He had rendered her immobile and, try as she might, she just couldn't overpower him.  Her lower lip trembled just slightly and her eyes swept over that mask.  It was cold and emotionless.  And she realized with a jolt that her brother was turning into it.  A cold monster.  And she'd caught it too late.

"Who _are_ you?"

He gave no answer.  Simply got up and left Eyre on the floor.  Ben was gone.  All that was left was Kylo Ren.  She was on her own.


	4. Pain and Suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! David Bowie died and then Alan Rickman died. I just lost all inspiration. But it's back now! Hope you enjoy!

Eyre wasn't sure how long it had been since Kylo left. She wasn't sure of anything. She was hardly sure of herself. Though, she had long since regained her ability to move, she stayed huddled in the same position against the wall, legs curled up against her chest. She was shaken to the core, quite literally, her tiny hands quivering in her lap and her eyes swimming with unshed tears. Where had she gone wrong? What had she missed? Or was Kylo really just that good at fooling her?

A strangled sob finally clawed its way out of her throat and the tears brimming in her eyes spilled over. She hadn't cried in years. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop. Slowly, her arms wrapped themselves around her knees, pulling them in closer to herself as she curled inward into a protective ball. A wail came out of her throat and she barely recognized her own voice. Who was this child? Years of carefully controlled emotions were tumbling out of her so quickly and so violently that she didn't know how to react or what to do.

She hoped Kylo wouldn't return. She knew that he wouldn't console her. Not after what he'd just said. Or maybe he would. She honestly didn't know.

Somewhere along the line, Eyre had fallen down onto her side, curled up into the smallest ball imaginable. Her breathing was heavy - hyperventilating. Was this was a panic attack felt like? She couldn't stop bawling, no matter how hard she possibly tried. She could hardly breathe. She could hardly see. But, her mind was racing a mile a minute. It almost felt like she was going to have a seizure. That's what she got for pushing down her emotions for a decade.

Eventually, her mind slowed and the incessant quivering in her limbs stopped. She wanted to get up, even tried to use the Force to do it, but she was too weak. She wanted to be held by a pair of familiar arms. She wanted Ben back. She wanted him stroking her hair and whispering calming, soothing words in her ear in that deep voice of his. She just wanted him to be there for her. But, instead, she passed out alone on the floor. A tear streaked, exhausted, utterly worthless mess.

* * *

 

Eyre didn't know how long she had been out, but she woke up with the nagging feeling that she was forgetting to do something. She just couldn't, for the life of her, remember what that something was. Rolling over with a pitiful groan, she finally unfurled her body and stretched out before shakily getting to her feet (though, not as shakily as she had thought she would be). Trudging over to her bedchamber, she peeked in and stole a look at the clock. 18:55 hours. Then it hit her.

"Oh fuck me sideways." She was going to be seriously late to her meeting with Hux.

Although, she really didn't want to deal with him, or anyone for that matter, right then....she knew it would be much better to do it now. She wouldn't want to deal with him throwing passive aggressive remarks and attitude at her all day tomorrow.

Finding the will to move her legs semi-quickly, Eyre turned around and made a beeline for the door, scooping up her mask via the Force and latching it onto her face without causing a hitch in her stride. Once out into the hallway, she got a few looks from officers and other First Order personnel. She knew without even having to pry into their minds that they had heard her breakdown. Her gaze hardened and she glared at them.

"Don't you have something you need to be doing?" She snapped and the rubberneckers scattered like little cockroaches upon hearing the venom in Aether's modulated voice. She was on a mission. Now that her mind was clear, she knew what she had to do.

* * *

 

Even power walking and using the Force to make things go her way, Aether was fifteen minutes late to Hux's quarters. He was not going to be happy. She could feel the annoyance practically seeping out from beneath the door as she gave it one solid bang. She hoped to the Force that her eyes weren't still red and puffy. That would be ridiculous embarrassing, as Hux would, no doubt, inquire about what had happened.

The door swung open and a wave of displeasure practically smacked Aether in the face.

"You're late." Hux stated through gritted teeth, pale hand gripping the door tightly.

"You gonna let me in or what?" Aether snapped right back and, against his ultimate better judgement, Hux stepped aside to let her pass. She swore she saw a hint of a smile on his pink lips.

She quite literally swooped in, her cape and skirt making a pleasing whooshing sound as the door slammed shut behind her. It was then that she realized she had never been in Hux's quarters before. It was surprisingly nice. Not as darkly furnished as her and Kylo's. There was a lot of black, yes, but also a lot of cream and silver highlights and undertones. Maybe a bit of chrome here and there, which made her stomach lurch as she remembered something else she had forgotten to do - train with Captain Phasma. Oh well. The other woman would understand, if Aether felt like explaining her absence.

She could feel Hux watching her as she slowly walked toward the large bay window that overlooked the barren snowy landscape outside. She rested her palms on the glass, only really looking outside in an attempt to gather her thoughts and feelings. The way that his gaze was sending shivers up and down her spine was far too pleasant for her liking.

"What was it that you wished to discuss, General?" Thank the Force for the modulator or the tremble in her voice would have been extremely noticeable.

She heard him shift behind her, knew that he was coming closer. Then she could feel him there, his body heat radiating off him. He was practically breathing down her neck.

"Take off that mask, you don't need it here." The way he said it almost had her complying. The quiet command in his voice and his proximity nearly made her hands lurch off the glass and do as he said. Almost. Not quite.

Instead, she turned her head to the side, regarding him out of the corner of her eye before shrugging and facing forward again.

"I don't feel the need to." She didn't know why she was being so obstinate. She knew what she had to do, as much as the thought irked her. Or so she thought. All thoughts were cut short when the ginger general opened his mouth again.

"Take off...your mask." Aether froze. Her blood ran cold, yet also boiled hot at the same time. Something in his tone terrified her. The harsh threatening sound mixed with the softness of his voice had her reeling inwardly and she realized, with a mental jolt that almost resonated through her body, that this was the first time she's truly been alone with him.

Slowly, as steadily as she could bring herself to be, Aether brought her leather clad hands up to her mask, fingers slipping beneath the jaw and unhooking the clasp that kept it in place. It opened with a hiss and she pulled the mask off her face, tossing it carelessly to the side and she shook out her hair. She turned her head to the side to look at the general out of the corner of her eye again.

"There. Happy?" This wasn't the first time he'd seen her without her mask on, but it had been a while. She had been much, much younger when that had happened and she'd been much more carefree about her appearance. Now, it was a completely different story.

Hux didn't answer her with words. Instead, his lips just barely turned up into a smirk. He moved away from her, backing away a couple steps before finding his way to her side, staring out the window with her with his hands jammed into his pockets. She contemplated getting him to spit out whatever he had to say using the Force, but the last time she'd tried to use it on him, he had made it very clear that she was not to do it again. As much as she wanted to see what he was like while unhinged, she just wasn't in the best place to be dealing with it right then.

"The Supreme Leader told me his concerns about you." He said after a long, tense moment of silence.

Aether saw red.

"He just can't keep anything to himself, can he? He's as bad as the Stormtroopers, spreading gossip and spewing bullshit." She seethed, pushing herself away from the window with an aggravated hiss, "Why did he even feel the need to tell _you_? What could _you_ possibly do?"

Hux was annoyingly calm, hands leaving his pockets to clasp behind him. He turned slowly to face her, head held in that usual arrogant, aristocratic way. He had predicted her reaction. Must have known her better than Aether originally thought.

"He thought I would be better to deal with the situation. You and Kylo Ren are too close." His tone have absolutely nothing away and Aether was far too tempted to give him a little push and slither her way into his skull. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"So, _what_? He wants you to scare me back to the Dark Side? Well, _guess what, **buddy**_? I don't need it. I'm here and I'm staying here. He and _Kylo Ren_ are full of **_shit_**."

Hux opened his mouth to say something, but Aether was too livid to hear it. She did what she had promised herself she wouldn't do. Holding out a hand towards Hux, she unleashed the Force into his mind. She didn't even know what she was searching for. She just wanted someone to feel pain. She wanted someone to suffer.

Hux stumbled back a few steps unintentionally, his back slamming into the window. His face contorted in pain that he had tried to mask, but simply couldn't. It was too much. His mind felt like it was being torn apart. He didn't think he could take it. His pale skin turned a dark shade of red, due to holding his breath so he wouldn't scream. His eyes were focused on Aether and she was damn sure that if he could use the Force, that she would be dead by now.

She stalked closer, her eyes locked with his even as she encroached on his personal space. She lowered her arm, pulling herself from his mind and she thought for a moment that he might reach out and hold onto her for a source of stability. A mixture of a gasp and a groan escaped his lips as the pain left his mind, leaving only a prickling sensation in its wake. Something deep within Aether found the sound all too alluring.

Her deep chocolate eyes shone with a hint of maroon in the lighting, her jaw was squared as were her shoulders. She was attempting to look strong and fearless, like she wasn't staring down someone of a higher power than she (although it might not be in the Force). She would be the last person to admit it, but she was feeling extremely vulnerable. He looked like he could crush her. Yet, she just kept pushing.

"You think you're better than me? I am strong with the Force and the Force is strong with me." She hissed with spite despite the pounding of her heart within her ears, "You're just a general. Easily replaced and _not very memorable_."

And then time seemed to stop. General Hux may not have been strong in the Force. But poor little Aether Ren had just unleashed the carefully bridled rage within him. And there was nothing she could do about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What IS Aether/Eyre up to? Stay tuned to find out (that was cheesy, oh well)!
> 
> Don't forget to comment and leave kudos!


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